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Hill Jones ARA review not what was
promised2012-05-10 / Local News
by WES KELLER
The provincial Standing Committee on General Government has
begun
its longawaited review of the Ontario Aggregate Resources Act
(ARA),
but neither Melancthon Mayor Bill Hill nor Dufferin Caledon MPP
Sylvia
Jones considers the format of the review to be anywhere close
to
expectations.
In a May 4, 2012, news release, Ms. Jones said the Liberals in
the last
election had promised that an in-depth review would take place
and
that there would be ample opportunity for public
participation.
Instead, only eight hours has been set aside for the review, and
it is
being held in Toronto. Clearly the Liberal Government has broken
this
promise, and I am concerned that municipalities, industry
representatives and residents most familiar with aggregates,
residing in
communities where aggregate extraction occurs, will be left out
of the
process, she said.
Similarly, Mayor Hill said he had spoken to the minister of
Natural
Resources at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association
(ROMA)
conference, and had been promised a great, glorious
consultation.
He and Melancthon received notice of the review on the Friday
for
consultations beginning the following Monday, and lasting a
total ofeight hours over four days. This, he said in a phone
interview, gave less
than 24 hours to prepare a presentation that would include a
long list of
concerns about the ARA.
As Melancthon is not the only municipality with concerns, he
expected
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he and CAO Denise Holmes would not be afforded more than 15
minutes
to make their presentation. But we are going, he said.
Melancthons major local concern, among others, is related to
The
Highland Companies application for nearly 2,400 acres of
aggregate
extractive and a company estimate that the interim use would be
for
between 50 and 100 years.
But the ARA deals with both pits and quarries, and the review is
not
directly related to any particular application.
Using Highland and other Melancthon experiences as examples,
Mayor
Hill cited a lack of clear business plans and timing of
extractions, as wellas a means of confirming quantities of
extracted materials, as some of
the problems with ARA.
The municipality is supposed to receive a royalty of about six
cents a
tonne, but has no way of knowing what tonnage has been
extracted.
There is no transparency.
Nor does the mayor expect that eight hours of consultation with
those
who can get to Toronto within the assigned hours to be adequate
for a
comprehensive review.
The Liberals and NDP joined together to quash what it was
supposed tobe. The government doesnt want to hear what the people
have to say,he said.
